The present invention relates to an operating device (also called a “controller”) used as peripheral equipment for entertainment apparatuses such as video game apparatuses and the like.
Generally, with entertainment apparatuses such as video game apparatuses and the like, various operations are executed using an operating device. Accordingly, multiple operating buttons are provided on the operating device, and the user controls the entertainment apparatus by operating these buttons in various ways, thereby moving a character displayed on a television set, for example.
Conventionally, many of such operating devices have been configured with a cross-shaped or round direction indicating operating button positioned on the left side of the front thereof, and multiple multi-purpose buttons on the right side of the front thereof.
These indicating operating buttons and multi-purpose buttons are configured of tact switches of rubber switches, and characters are digitally moved or the states of characters are digitally changed by performing on/off operations of these switches.
As described above, with conventional entertainment apparatuses, the direction indicating operating buttons and the multi-purpose buttons only have functions for digitally changing characters displayed on a television set, so the movement and state change of characters become non-continuous, and thus there has been the problem of being jerky when viewed.
In order to solve this problem, the game apparatus operating device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H7-88252 adds analog input devices configured of a trackball, joystick, etc., so that the character displayed on the display screen of the television set can be controlled in an analog manner. Another example of conventional art with such an analog input device added is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-90042.
However, the operability of analog input devices configured of a trackball, joystick, etc., differs greatly from that of the above described direction indicating operating buttons and multi-purpose buttons, so it takes time for users who are accustomed to using the direction indicating operating buttons and multi-purpose buttons to thoroughly learn how to operate such analog input devices, which could greatly diminish the enjoyment of the entertainment apparatus.